We believe that New York State and our entire country should work for all of us, not just a greedy few. Our endorsements work to move us closer to that vision of the future in many ways, including leadership in elected office and through policies that will actually change people’s lives.
We elect representatives who will fight for us inside the halls of power and organize our communities on the outside to hold them accountable.
When we endorse, we put our full weight of thousands of members behind it to make sure our candidate is successful. We endorse candidates in races where our involvement can have the most impact. We put in the work by knocking on doors, making phone calls, sending texts, running social media ads, and sending out mailers.
On rare occasions, we might support a candidate who doesn’t completely meet our ideal standards for an endorsement, but the opposing candidates in the race winning would mean an unacceptable setback to our goals and our movement.
Because of the time and energy we put into our endorsements, we have to be sure we’re making the right decision. Our endorsement process is guided by our values as an organization, as well as a deep consideration of what our involvement in each race would make possible for our communities. We invest a lot into each stage of this process, and we engage all areas of our organization, including members across age and language as well as staff, through final endorsement decisions.
While we do not have a single fixed requirement by which we endorse candidates, we do consider questions like:
Is this candidate aligned with our values as an organization?
If elected, what power will this person have to champion the interests of everyday people?
How will this race shift power in this electoral body and in the state?
Could our involvement be the deciding factor of which candidate wins the race?
Does this candidate have a path to victory?
Our first and only commitment is to our communities. Candidates we endorse will not only believe the same, but they will prove it through their actions. That means the candidate uses all the tools in their toolbox — their voice, platform, and power — to push us towards a more just future for all people.
Politics is also a shifting landscape. Gaining our support once doesn’t mean you’ll have it again the next time around. If another candidate in the race emerges that is more aligned with our values and priorities, we will consider them.